FARMINGTON — The six band members of Shepherd’s Pie are a close-knit group of friends committed to playing dance music and helping others.

Shepherd’s Pie will play for Friday’s Heat Dance IV. Band members have helped turn the benefit dance into a special annual event for the community.

Set to a Hollywood theme, the dance raises funds for the ecumenical heat fund program ECU-Heat. It starts at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, in the North Dining Hall at the University of Maine at Farmington.

“You have no idea the impact on people,” band member Jodie Gunther said of the program that provides fuel assistance for area residents.

Representing the band, Gunther and Tim Wallace have stepped up to help create and sustain the popular dance, which raised over $21,000 last year.

The two have more time to put into it, she said. But fellow band members Chris Yardley, Patty Schoen, Kat Poulson and Jon Abell never say no to donating their talents for a few benefits each year.

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“Our mission as a band is to be helpful,” Gunther said. “We probably wouldn’t be together if that was not an emphasis.”

Even Gov. Paul LePage has taken notice.

In a letter to dance attendees, LePage acknowledges the work of the Rev. Susan Crane and all who administer the ECU-Heat program.

“Together, they have helped well over 200 homes secure one of our basic human needs: warmth,” he said. “I also applaud Jodie Gunther and Tim Wallace for their leadership in organizing and promoting this event and their band, Shepherd’s Pie.”

Gunther is the creative party planner and came up with the Hollywood/Academy Award theme, Crane said. Gunther has an eye for decorating and transforms the dining hall.

She started the “Oscars” the first year and by Heat Dance II, the organization was awarding Oscars to the biggest sponsors, she said.

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Last year, Gunther’s idea was a gold ticket, which includes a limousine ride to the dance after a dinner at Homestead Bakery. That was so popular it will be repeated, she said.

There are a few surprises planned for this year, Gunther said. Students at Broadway Academy of Dance will also perform a high-energy routine.

Wallace does a lot to publicize the dance and encourage new sponsors. This community has a strong spirit of volunteerism, he said.

Susan Richards has joined Crane, Wallace and Gunther to make up the dance committee this year.

The heat program relies on donations and a few fundraisers.

When President Barack Obama was inaugurated the first time, Shepherd’s Pie gave a benefit dance at the University of Maine at Farmington and raised money for ECU-Heat, Crane said.

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“I had no idea they were doing it. So, it has been a passion for Wallace for many years,” she said. “I really count on the Heat Dance to raise a significant amount of money to help keep our neighbors warm.” 

Together for about six years, the current band performs different genres of music from jazz to pop, classics and country.

“We play what is important for the audience, not for ourselves,” Wallace said.

The band started at Old South Church after Wallace came back from a mission trip and tried to re-create the praise music he heard in an Honduran church.

Members of Old South submitted names for the band and Shepherd’s Pie seemed like a good one for a group playing in a church, Wallace said. 

“The band became something completely different but the name stuck,” he said. “Today . . . we think of shepherd’s pie as dish made from a bunch of different everyday ingredients . . . turned into something delicious. The band members are different ages, backgrounds and musical interests but we all come together as something great — in our humble opinion.”

For more information, visit www.timrobwall.wix.com/heatdance.

abryant@sunmediagroup.net

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